Defense is a factor as to why our top hitting prospects are in AAA

[Greg Pappas]

• Holliday needs more time to get acclimated to 2B.
• Mayo needs more work at 3B.
• Kjerstad needs a lot more time at 1B, though he may be a DH/RF anyway.  Time will tell.
• Norby is trying to get acclimated in LF & RF.  He's able to fill in at 2B but is below average there.  
• I can't recall what defensive shortcomings Stowers has to work on, so I can't speak to that.

This is not an attempt to disregard the team control factor, at all.  It's just that defense is a factor that should not be dismissed in consideration of when the team feels these young men are ready to come up.

Agree?

[Frobby]

I do agree.  

[Sanity Check]

I agree that it's the narrative.  Truth is, they haven't made room for those guys yet, and it's a very convenient reason to keep them down for now.

[dystopia]

I don't disagree, but you'd think Elias would have said this instead of the "need more experience against LHP" BS.

[interloper]

Mike was right.

[interloper]

Defense is also a factor to why this team is as good as it is. Not saying the ML team is perfect defensively, but if you can't make simple throws to first base, you're not gonna play third base here. 

[Frobby]

1 minute ago, Sanity Check said:

I agree that it's the narrative.  Truth is, they haven't made room for those guys yet, and it's a very convenient reason to keep them down for now.

It was convenient for Mayo to make two errors and for Holliday and Kjerstad each to make one yesterday.  Really feeds that made-up narrative.  

[RZNJ]

Disagree on Holliday.  He looked just fine in ST and could have fine tuned the intricacies of 2B in the majors.  Funny that they have no problem putting Mateo at 2B who has less experience there than Holliday.

[Jagwar]

At the very least your bullet points offer Elias some cover. Holliday seems to be the only one where service time is being controlled. 

Regarding Norby... I just don't see any path for him at all. He's blocked in the IF, and even if he learns how to play the corner OF, he is likely blocked there too. Could it be that the O's are hoping he improves his stock to increase his value at the trade deadline?

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Disagree on Holliday.  He looked just fine in ST and could have fine tuned the intricacies of 2B in the majors.  Funny that they have no problem putting Mateo at 2B who has less experience there than Holliday.

Mateo had 66 starts at 2B in the minors and 14 in the majors, plus another 10 MLB games as a defensive sub.  That’s way more experience than Holliday.  And, from what I’ve read, his overall defensive skills are better than Holliday’s currently are.  

[Aristotelian]

Will be interesting if Kjerstad sticks at 1B or if Mayo or Stowers gets time there too. 

[RZNJ]

5 minutes ago, Frobby said:

Mateo had 66 starts at 2B in the minors and 14 in the majors, plus another 10 MLB games as a defensive sub.  That’s way more experience than Holliday.  And, from what I’ve read, his overall defensive skills are better than Holliday’s currently are.  

Sorry.  Couldn’t tell on that attempted DP in game #1.   Mateo has more experience in his career, granted.  Holliday has more recent experience.  Were there any plays Holliday failed to make in ST?   If they are waiting for Holliday to have Mateo’s arm and range, it could be a long wait.

Edited March 30 by RZNJ

[Sanity Check]

9 minutes ago, Frobby said:

It was convenient for Mayo to make two errors and for Holliday and Kjerstad each to make one yesterday.  Really feeds that made-up narrative.  

Oh, it was very convenient to fit the narrative.  I don't recall them throwing the ball around like that in the Spring Training games I saw.  I doubt that Elias and Co. expected these guys would just suck at their respective positions like they did a couple of times yesterday.

BUT, I didn't see the games, so I can't form an opinion on how easy any of the throws were, whether they were hurried, or the run, etc.  The only guy at a fairly new position, in my opinion, was Kjerstad.  

If anyone did see those plays, and they were clearly easy throws with no excuse for not making them, then I'll agree the guys need work.  Sometimes, guys make errors trying to make plays that they maybe shouldn't have tried to make, but that's what most athletes do.

[Sanity Check]

14 minutes ago, Jagwar said:

At the very least your bullet points offer Elias some cover. Holliday seems to be the only one where service time is being controlled. 

Regarding Norby... I just don't see any path for him at all. He's blocked in the IF, and even if he learns how to play the corner OF, he is likely blocked there too. Could it be that the O's are hoping he improves his stock to increase his value at the trade deadline?

Norby was in right field last night and was 4 for 6.  Either we find a spot for his bat - maybe the RH DH - or he's becoming more valuable as a trade piece.  Personally, I'd like to see him on the O's and not somewhere else.  He's been solid at AAA.

[RZNJ]

Just now, Sanity Check said:

Norby was in right field last night and was 4 for 6.  Either we find a spot for his bat - maybe the RH DH - or he's becoming more valuable as a trade piece.  Personally, I'd like to see him on the O's and not somewhere else.  He's been solid at AAA.

Norby, noted for having a below average arm made two pretty good throws from RF.